Unloading apparatus



G. C. CHADWICK. UNLOADING APPARATUS. V APPLiCATlON FILED JULY 13,1918.

G. C. CHADWICK.

UNLOADING APPARATUS. APPUCATION FILED JULY 13,1918.

1,422,926. Patentedlu1y18,1922..

, 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

k i \1 k M G. C. CHADWICK.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.1918.

1,422,926 Patented July 18, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GEORGE orrannns onanwron, or MELBOURNE, vro'ronm, AUSTRALIA.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

1&223326.

Application filed July 13, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that GEORGE CHARLES CHAD- W101i, a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia, residing at Ludstone Chambers, Collins Street, Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of r-rustralia, has invented new and useful Improvements in Unloading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has been devised to provide improvements in apparatus to conveniently, elliciently and quickly discharge material such as coal, from the hold a ship lying alongside a wharf or pier. By the employment of the apparatus the coal is taken from its bed in any part of the hold, at any angle and delivered at any desired point. The whole apparatus may be operated by three men, one at an elevated station surmounting an elevator well and having a master control. and the others at two other positions, each having an emergency control, whereby a portion of the apparatus may be arrested, if desired, at any moment. Each of the lower positions may be in. telephonic communication with the master con trol on the elevated station. When the apparatus is not in use, the elevator well and its adjuncts. carried by a gantry, will be housed in an elevated position out of the way.

In order that my invention may be the more easily understood, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure 1 illustrates apparatus embodied in my invention and shown in the position of unloadingcoal from a vessel.

Figure 2 is an enlargement of portions of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the chute and the non-rotating sleeve hereinafterreferred to.

Figure 4: is a plan view of the adjustable extension of the elevator well and of portions of the endless flexible elevator hereinafter referred to, some of the parts being removed for sake of clearness.

' Figure 5 is an end view of the tumbler at the outer end of theextension and portions 01? the flexible elevator.

Figure 6 shows in perspective, the form of elevator bucket preferably employed.

Figure 7 illustrates one of the tumblers under which the buckets pass in the extension, on the way to the elevator well.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Serial No. 244,745.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the conveyor arm, the conveyor being omitted for sake of clearness.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a side view of the conveyor arm. showing means for tightening or loossuing the conveyor belt on said. arm.

Figure ll is a section on line 1111 of Figure 2.

Figure 12 is a top plan view, showing portions of the elevator well and portions of the stay rods.

Fig. 13 is a section on line 13-18 of Figure 2. v i v Figure 1.4 is a fragmentary view, show ing portions of the conveyor arm.

In the accompanying drawings, a. is a double gantry travelling along rails a upon a wharf cf. the gantry being preferably provided with grooved wheels a two at each corner. The inner end of a movable hinged conveyor arm 72 is disposed within the gantr such end being supported by a spindle I) (Figure carrying grooved wheels 7 runninggon tracks 0. Between the members of the arm 7 and integral with the spindle Z) is a screw block 0' (Figures 8 and 9), on which operates a screw rod 0 the latter receiving motion from a bevel gear al (Figure 8), operated in any convenient manner. The outer end of such conveyor arm Z) is pivoted at]; to non-rotating vertical sleeve 6, in which is disposed a rotary elevator well 0, partly supported by wheels 6 running on the top of the sleeve. The well a is provided with a movable house fsupported on a turn table f. The rotary movements of the houseare controlled by a motor 7 (Figure 2) operating, a vertical rod 9, with gear wheel g meshing with a circumferential gear wheel 9 on the exterior of the top of the rotary well'e. Preferably placed on the top of the house is a winch 7b with drum h, for two controlling ropes 7L which pass down to and over the pulleys 11 and 2" at each side of the rotary well. The ropes k are finally connected to the pulley wheel 2' (Figure 2) of the adjustable arm -.or extension 7', which is pivotally suspended at the bottom of the rotary wall, 6'. Mounted at the outer end of the adjustable extension j is a tumbler j (Figure 5), providing with projecting agitators j which, in the rotary action of the tumbler. stir the coal within the vessel 7' to facilitate its entry into the ii i) buckets k. The latter are pivotally connected to links a of endless chains which slide on transverse rollers 76 (Figure 4e), running in bearings on the side members oi the extension 7', said. buckets and chains constituting elements of an endless flexible elevator, The buckets pass "from the extension under the tumblers m, journaled in. the lower end portion of the well, and then proceed vertically through the well 0 to and over a tumbler 22 journaled in a striuztnre or house 7' above the well, and rotated by a drum 725 on. a motor-driven shaft h, and beltedv to the shaft of the tumbler n.

YVithin the house 7 the coal at this point is discharged into an annular hopper n (Figures 2 and 3), the buckets in the meantime passing over a tumbler n below the tumbler n, thence down the well a. and over the tumbler at the lower end of the well, and thence into the adjustable extension The hopper n is fixed to and surrounds the upper end of the sleeve 0-, and is formed to receive coal delivered by the elevator when the latter is in any position to which it may be rotated. From the lower portion 0t one side of the hopper projects an inclined chute 71%, arranged to deliver coal to the conveyor belt hereinafter described. The coal on tall- .ing into the hopper will strike any of the four inclined director plates 0 set at an angle within the hopper to cause the coal to continue to fall towards the mouth of the chute a from which it again tails onto a conveyor belt 0 running on the usual rollers 0 set at an angle on the conveyor arm i), to provide the ordinary V-shaped receptacle or channel. The belt 0 isretained in its taut condition by passing it over a number of small pulleys 72 (Figure 10), and also ex tended by employing an adjustable arm 7), on which is mountedone of the main pulleysp The arm receives its forward or rearward movement from a screw-rod. 7'), rotated in any convenient manner. It is necessary that the inner pulley of the pulley should be drawn inwardly, otherwise the belt 0 will strike the bin 5 hereinafter referred to, when the arm Z) is being housed.

To keep the elevator well in a vertical and staunch position against the thrust caused by the pressure on the adjustable exteusionj, when the elevator at work, I provide inclined stay-rods r, (Figures 1, 8, 12 and 13), the outer or lower ends of said rods being pivotally connected to a non-rotating ring a encirelingv the well 0. such ring 26 having suitably arranged anti-friction rollers 11 in COll'llaGL with a circular plate a on the elevator well, and with flanges on said plate, as shown by FM 5 res ll. 12 and 1:3. The upper ends lo the rods r are supported by spindles r (il igure 8) integral with a screw block W ,running on a screw-rod r disposed within the arm 6. The rod r is operated by the movement of the pulleys t, the hauling ropes 2f actuating such pulleys 1- and the pulleys t on the spindle t. A driving-belt or the like i connects the pulley t with pulley mounted on worm shaft 23 gearing with worm screw t on the screw-rod r. The spindles r carry grooved wheels 1* running on tracks 0 (Figure 8) at each side ot the screw-rod 1 The coal is deposited by the conveyor belt into a suitable bin 3 (Figure 1) from which it falls into a receptacle 5, thence into a chute s which delivers it onto a conveyor belt 3" that finally takes itto a storage bin, not shown, or to any other quired point. The raisingor lowering movement of the conveyor arm 7), and with it the elevator, are controlled by a rope Ii passing over pulleys t at each side ot the conveyor arm and pulleys e at the liOP O/l the gantry, the rope passing downwardly and being wound around a drum n disposed within the gantry, at any convenient position, and operated in any suitable manner. .Vhen the rope t is operated to raise the elevator well, the screw-rod r is rotated by the rope to move the screw block 1' and spindles r inwardly "from the elevator and thus vary the inclination of the rods to compensate for vertical movements of the well.

I would have it understood that I may depositthe coal into any suitable receptacle, for instance, it may be deposited simultaneously into one or more lines of trucks. The operating power preferably employed is electricity tor traversing the gantry along the wharf, for driving the drums for raising or lowering the conveyor arm, for driving the conveyor belt on said arm, for driving the flexible elevator, for turning the well to cause lateral swinging movements of the hinged extension j, and for swinging said extension vertically.

.ln unloading the vessel j, the height of the elevator well 0, and the position of the hinged extension 7' are adjusted to cause the elevator buckets to first engage the top portion of the cargo. The well is lowered and turned in the sleeve 6, and the extension is swung in a vertical plane, as required, to enable the buckets at the outer end of the extension to reach dilterent parts of the cargo. The stay-rods r act as compression members or struts, supporting the well and extension against the pressure exerted on the buckets by the coal when the extension is inclined. to the right, as shown by Figures 1 and 2. When the extension is inclined in the opposite direction, the stay-rods act as tension members to similarly support the Welland extension. Provision is therefore made for supporting the well, elevator, and extension at all times against the pressure exerted on the buckets by the coal, and

maintaining the well in a staunch vertical position.

I claim 1. Unloading apparatus for vessels comprising in combination, a gantry; a conveyor arm hinged thereto at its inner end, and adapted to swing in a vertical plane; a non-rotating sleeve hinged to the outer end of said arm; a rotary elevator well rotatabl in said sleeve portion; an adjustable extension hinged to the lower end of the rotary well; a flexible endless elevator guided by said well and extension, and including elevating buckets, adapted to take up material at the outer end of the extension; means for swinging the conveyor arm to raise and lower the sleeve and Well; means for swinging the extension to vary the height of its outer end; inclined thrustsupporting stay-rods; upper hinge connections between the upper ends of said stayrods and the conveyor arm; lower hinge connections between the lower ends of the stay-rods and the rotary well, said lower connect-ions including a non-rotating ring pivoted to the lower ends of the stay-rods and encircling the rotary portion of the well, said stay-rods being arranged to maintain the well in a vertical and staunch posi tion against the thrust causedby the pressure of the material on said buckets; and means for turning the rotary well to swing said extension laterally.

2. Unloading apparatus, comprising a conveyor arm; conveying means on said arm; a non-rotating sleeve connected with said arm; a rotary elevator well adapted to turn in said sleeve portion; means for elevating material in said well and discharging the same over the upper end of the sleeve; and an annular hopper fixed to and surrounding said sleeve, and provided with a chute projecting from one side oi the hopper, and arranged to guide material. from any part of the hopper to the said convey mg means.

3. Unloading apparatus subsatntially as specified by claim 2, said hopper being provided with oppositely inclined director plates between its mouth and the chute, arranged to guide the material toward the mouth of the chute.

4. Unloading apparatus, comprising a non-rotary sleeve; a rotary elevator well adapted to turn in said sleeve; anti-friction means associated with the sleeve and the rotary well, whereby the well is supported by the sleeve and permitted to rotate; means for supporting the sleeve; an extension hinged to the lower end of the rotary well; an endless flexible elevator movable in said well and extension, and including elevating buckets and endless chains carrying the buckets; means for guiding said elevator, including a rotary tumbler located above thewell; mechanism for driving said tumbler; mechanism for turning the rotary well, and mechanism for vertically swinging said extension. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE CHARLES OHADVVICK. 

